Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Remembering Sweeney

Mike Sweeney is gone. I'm still kind of in shock. I understand the frustration by fans when it comes to Mike but all I seen was a guy who tried hard every time he played. His health not withstanding Sweeney did some good things for KC, including putting that punk Jeff Weaver in his place.People forget that while Damon, Dye, & Beltran publicly stated that they would file for free agency Sweeney signed a below market contract to stay with Royals through the prime of his career. He was a 5-time all-star ( should have been 6, Ken Harvey? really?) and had one of the most potent right handed bats this side of Edgar Martinez. From 1999-2002 Sweeney was one of the best hitters in all of baseball and then he signed the contract and the rest is history. Mike was unable to stay healthy and had only one season, 2005, during the contract where he played over 120 games. He hit .300/.347/.517 that year showing that when not injured he could still mash. The last two years he only played in 114 games and at the end of 2007 KC decided to part ways with the slugger. Mike no doubt will be inducted in the Royals HOF, and deservedly so. His numbers across the board are among the best in club history.